


Birth of the Crow

by FandomFluid



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, Multi, Priests having sex with succubi and all that, Sebastian origin story, Sorry about the heterosexuals, Starts off nice and turns dark, original character is a succubus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-02 06:13:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4049251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomFluid/pseuds/FandomFluid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Long before Sebastian Michaelis was the butler to the Phantomhives, there was a young parish priest named Gabryelle who did his best to be the priest his parishioners needed.<br/>When a young woman appears at church one day, his life changes completely. Unbeknownst to him, the young lady is a succubus and he's naive enough to fall straight into her trap. Soon enough, he finds himself unraveling, changing into something far different and less than human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

            The little village’s parish priest was a rather young man with blond curls that fell down to his shoulders and deep brown eyes like fertile soil. The man had only very recently been assigned to the small parish in the tiny village of peasants, yet already the population seemed to have taken quite a liking to him.

            The young priest lived as they did, in a small wooden hut with only one room and a fire in the middle to help warm the tiny home. The parish priest lived on his small glebe where he grew his own food and, when he wasn’t working in the church, would either be tending to his own crops or helping his parishioners with their own crops and livestock.

            The priest woke easily to the light of the morning streaming into his small home, moving to get out of his straw bed and out from beneath the wool blanket one of the parishioners had given him to keep him warm in his first winter with them. He got up and stretched out, moving to open the wooden shutters on the two windows on the wall of his home, humming at the warmth of the morning sun on his nude body. He stretched out his long limbs and moved to dress himself in his long black gown before he broke his fast on a piece of bread and some cheese.

            When finished eating, the priest made his way out of his home and down to the church with the rest of his parishioners.

            “Welcome, dear friends. Please make yourselves comfortable.” He said, holding the door open to the villagers. The church was a humble one, and was by no means a cathedral. It was small, but it was built to last for centuries with sturdy stone.

            “Gabryelle, what will your sermon be on today?” A little girl asked curiously, parting away from her mother to run up to the blond man.

            “You will see soon, darling girl, don’t worry.” Gabryelle replied easily, moving to gently tap the tip of the child’s nose.

            She grinned and giggled, reuniting with her parents and brothers as they all filed into the church for Sunday Mass.

            Gabryelle was the last to go inside, following a young woman with long, red curls. The woman was rather new to the village, and had come alone in the night only a few days earlier. There were no new huts around and she was never seen with any children or a husband of any sort. They never saw her tending to crops or spinning wool or weaving blankets or anything of the sort. They did, however, often see her in the church praying silently to herself by the light of the candles.

            The priest walked inside and shut the door behind him, striking a fire on the wicks of the candles on the altar in the front of the small church. Gabryelle hadn’t come from a rich family by any means, his parents both dying from illness when he was still figuring out how to walk by himself. He’d been taken in by the church and raised to be a priest. He wasn’t educated like the higher priests were. He couldn’t read or write or speak perfect Latin. He knew the stories of the Bible, though, by heart, having been taught them orally.

            Gabryelle took his place in front of the group of parishioners and cleared his throat.

            “Peace be with you.” He started to the group.

            “And also with you.”

            Gabryelle smiled softly at that, starting in with the service easily, leading the villagers through multiple prayers and hymns before giving his sermon. He spoke about the oncoming harvest season and the blessings of bountiful crops and healthy animals.

            “We must always be thankful for how kind our Heavenly Father has been to us. Our livestock are all healthy, our crops are aplenty, and we are all healthy and happy and fruitful. We may not have many material items, but we know that such things will have no meaning when we’ve all passed on to the Paradise that awaits us at the end of our lives. Our skin may be darkened from the sun, but that simply shows how hard we work and toil every day. It is the good man, the hard working man, the man who remains humble and loving to the end of his days who will pass through the gilded gates of Paradise at the end of the day. God has gifted us with all that we need and we couldn’t be happier. “ He said to the people with a genuine smile before leading them into yet another prayer to bring them bountiful crops to help them to make it through the coming winter.

            “...In God’s name we pray. Amen.” He finished, making a cross by touching his shoulders, forehead, and abdomen. He finished the Mass as he always did, sending them all off to enjoy the Sabbath in peace, the villagers all leaving the church together to return to their homes for the holy day of resting.

            Gabryelle was about to head back to his own hut when he heard footsteps coming towards him at the front of the church, turning around to see the red haired woman striding towards him. “Is there something I can help you with, fair lady?” he asked curiously.

            “Please, call me Wineva.” She replied easily to him with a warm smile. “I was wondering if it would be too much trouble to request a Confession.”

            “Of course it wouldn’t be. Please, follow me.” He replied, leading her back through the church to a small confessional. He got in on his side as she got in on the other side, lighting the candle inside easily so they weren’t sitting in total darkness.

            “I’m afraid, Father, that I have sinned. Or, at least, I find myself wishing to.” She said easily to him as she settled into the confessional, the priest on the other side of the screened window as her.

            “What is the sin you find yourself tempted to commit?”

            “I find myself tempted by lust, Father. There is a man who practically sets my womanhood ablaze. I want nothing more than share his bed.” She replied honestly.

            Gabryelle simply nodded. “The Devil tempts God’s children in many ways, all of them just as wicked as the last. You are a beautiful, young, fertile woman. You mustn’t give up hope that you will find a suitable husband soon enough.” He said to her gently.

            She nodded and gave a small sigh. “I should have been married long ago. I was betrothed once, but he fell ill before we could wed and perished all too quickly. Since then, no man has come calling to me. I fear none ever shall.”

            “You mustn’t lose faith, Wineva. A man will come for you one day.” Gabryelle replied to her easily.

            She nodded and smiled a bit. “Thank you, Father. I will do all I can to remain pure until he comes.”

            “Is that all you need?” he asked curiously.

            “Yes, Thank you.”

            “Go in peace, then, dear Winevra.”

            She nodded and moved to get out of the confessional. Gabryelle got out after her, blowing out the candle.

            Winevra had lingered around silently, smiling when she saw the tall, thin, blond priest get out of the confessional. In an instant, she’d grabbed his gown and pushed him forcefully against the wall of the church, then pushing herself against him.

            “I-I-I don’t underst-“ Gabryelle gasped out, getting cut off by the feeling of her mouth pressed against his, her tongue forcing his mouth open, snaking its way inside, then pressing insistently against his own tongue. He froze for a bit before panicking a bit, setting his hands on her forehead to push her away.

            The young priest panted when he finally pushed her off of him. “Please, Wineva, I am a priest. I’ve devoted my life to our Father in Heaven. I will never take a wife, and I will never father any sons or daughters. These are my vows. I pray you respect them.” He said breathlessly to the younger woman. “If you will excuse me, I need to pray.”

            Wineva smiled and nodded, watching as the priest nodded to her and walked off, leading her out of the church before he headed back to his little hut nearby to spend the rest of his Sabbath in prayer. She just turned and walked the other way, walking out of the bounds of the village for a mile or two, spotting a familiar figure in the distance.

            “I’ve found myself a new little toy, I think.” She announced happily to the other figure, walking up to her easily.

            “Better than the baker you had last time?” The other woman asked with a small smirk.

            “Much better. He’s young, strong, and rather handsome. His good looks are wasted, though. The poor boy’s a priest, and a very pious one at that.”

            The woman nodded and looked out over the distant little village as they all went on with their little lives. “Well, it’s up to you. Do you bother with this toy, knowing it will be more difficult, or do you find a new one somewhere else? There are plenty of priests in this world, this one isn’t special.”

            “Have you ever known me to give up just because of a few complications? No, I think I’ll stick with this one for a while. Perhaps I can try to toy with the organ in his chest before I go for the one between his legs.” Wineva said with a smile at the new idea.

            “Are you planning to turn him, or just sleep with him and move on?” The other asked curiously.

            “I’m not sure right now. We’ll see how much fun he is.” Wineva replied easily, grinning at her friend beside her.

            The priest had returned to his little home to rest for the rest of the day like the rest of the villagers, trying to chase away the thought of how the woman had pinned him to the wall so effortlessly, practically throwing herself onto him. He sighed and shook his head. She was simply in the middle of a fight against lust, and she would have to look inside herself and take a while to fight that battle. He couldn’t blame her for what she’d done. She was only a human, and the devil was much stronger than mere men.

            Gabryelle moved to add a log to the small fire in the middle of his hut to keep it going, sitting down on the floor, bowing his head in prayer as he asked God to protect Wineva and save her from the devilish urges stirring within her. He looked up, ending his prayer by making a cross across his chest before getting up from his seat on the ground, walking over to answer the door, blinking when he saw Wineva on the other side, looking sheepish and innocent.

            “Dear Wineva, what can I do for you?” he asked curiously.

            “I’d like to apologize for earlier, Father. I don’t know what came over me. It must have been the devil like you said. I try my best to be pure, I don’t know how this happened to me.” She said, sniffling a bit as tears sprung from her eyes and started to roll down her cheeks.

            Gabryelle blinked at that, moving quickly to gently take her by the shoulders. “Do not blame yourself, Wineva, dear Wineva. Please, come in and share my fire.” he said, stepping aside to let the young woman into his small hut. “You mustn’t blame yourself, dear woman. Our Heavenly Father made the Devil stronger than us men, so you can’t blame yourself entirely for falling into his trap.”

            Wineva sniffled and nodded, looking over at the young man as he sat down next to her beside the warm fire. He was going to be a fun toy, she decided. He was just pure and naïve enough to have some real fun with.

            Gabryelle sat with her and shared his bread and food with her happily, working to lift her spirits by holding her hands in his own and singing happily with her and telling her stories next to the fire until night fell.

            “Ah, it’s night. I had better head home…” Wineva said with a small sigh, looking out the hut’s little window to see that the sun had already set.   
            “You can’t. The witching hour is no time to be wandering around. When the sun falls and the moon rises, the demons dance and wreak havoc. Please, stay here for the night. You can have my bed.” Gabryelle said to her, grasping onto her hands for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

            Wineva blinked at that and smiled a bit to him. “You’re very kind, Father. Thank you.” She said to him easily. “It’s a shame about your vows. You would have made a wonderful husband.”

            Gabryelle smiled at the compliment and kissed her forehead softly. “Bless you, dear Wineva.” He said to her, leading her over to the small straw bed he usually slept on. He let her get situated, moving to bunker down on the ground next to the fire to keep him warm.

            “Are you sure it’s alright if I use your bed for the night?” She asked curiously.

            “Yes, of course. You are my guest. Please, sleep in my bed and warm yourself with my blankets. I hope you wake up happy when morning comes.” Gabryelle replied as he lay down on the floor next to the fire, curling up comfortably. He shut his eyes and, within a few minutes, was asleep.

            Wineva never slept at all throughout the night, just staying in the straw bed under the warm woolen blankets.  She noticed when the priest was beginning to stir awake, deciding it would be best to play her cards while he was still half asleep. She watched as the man slowly woke up, eventually sitting up, his eyes still droopy and tired.

            “Good morning, Father.” She said softly, moving over to kneel down next to him. “I trust you slept well?”

            Gabryelle just looked over at her and hummed in reply, often taking a while to completely wake up.

            She smiled and laughed a bit, moving to lean in and kiss his lips softly, gently stroking his blond curls, not surprised when the drowsy man let her do it, soon kissing her back a bit. That was it, the moment he started kissing her on his own, she’d become like a drug to him and he’d become addicted to her. It would start as a small romance, and she would make the priest spiral down and down with her until she’d had her fun with him.

            Gabryelle hummed, parting from the kiss a bit, looking into her eyes, a new sort of glimmer in his deep brown eyes. He then leaned in and kissed her again, wanting nothing more than to continue doing so all throughout the day. Her lips were soft and warm and tasted like warm, fresh bread. He felt her gentle fingers run through his hair, her other hand resting on his jaw gently while he moved his hands to wrap around her waist.

            “Father, what’s your name? You never did tell me.” She panted out softly after they parted to breathe, pressing their foreheads together.

            “Gabryelle. It’s just Gabryelle.”  He replied to her easily.

            “Gabryelle. It’s very lovely. You were named after the angel, right?” She replied easily to him, stroking his cheek softly.

            “Yes, I was. I rather like it. It may prove to be problematic in the future, though.”

            “Oh? How so?”

            “Well, when I die and go to Heaven, and our Heavenly Father makes me an angel so I can fight in his righteous army, I won’t know if they’re calling for me or the other.” He explained with a small smile and a laugh.

            She smiled at that and laughed a bit as well, grinning at him. It was ironic, she thought. If things went her way, the man would have no chance of ever seeing the pearly gates of Paradise.


	2. Chapter 2

            Gabryelle found himself spending most of his days with Wineva. He loved seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. He loved holding her in his arms and he loved her kisses. He loved the way she’d absently start to play with his hair. He loved how she’d kiss all over his face, then move on to his jaw and neck, never moving any lower and always leaving him hanging and wanting more. All in all, he adored her. She was like no woman he’d ever met. She was different somehow, but he couldn’t put a finger on what it was.

            “Gabe? What are you thinking about?” Wineva asked as she rubbed the man’s back, pulling him from his trance.

            “Hm? Oh, it’s nothing important.” Gabryelle replied easily, leaning into her easily and moving to hold her close.

            Wineva nodded, enjoying the peaceful air with the man. She could see how much he seemed to adore her; she saw the way he looked at her. The man was weak against his own heart and now she had him eating out of the palm of her hand. It would be all too easy at that point to drive him off the edge and watch him spiral out of control. She did want a fledgling, after all, and it would be amazing to watch this pious man be hurled into the darkness and changed into a new version of himself. With a smirk at the idea, she leaned forward and moved to start kissing at his neck, pushing his hair out of the way.

            Gabryelle hummed at the feeling, tilting his head to the side for her so she could have more access to the skin on his neck. He wanted more and more of that kind of attention. He wanted her to take his clothes off so he could feel her lips kissing all over his body. He wanted to feel her soft, light fingers wandering all over his skin, feeling each inch of him.

            “Wineva, please. I want you…” He said softly to the woman at his neck, his fingers moving to gently play with her red hair.

            “You want me to, what?” She asked curiously, smiling to the blond man.

            “Lay with me. Share my bed.” Gabryelle replied to her easily, kissing her lips warmly.

            She smiled to him and laughed a bit, nodding. “Alright, darling. Anything for my sweet Gabe.”

            All at once, Wineva was on top of him, straddling his hips and leaning down to kiss his lips hungrily and ravenously while gripping his clothes and tearing the fabric off of his body to strip him nude. Gabryelle couldn’t help but feel a little scared at how she seemed to go at it so naturally, and how she seemed to gaze down at him like a wolf who’d just caught a rabbit for dinner.

            Then, she fulfilled his wish, her soft, warm lips starting to kiss down his body, teasing his nipples briefly by sucking at them gently as he moaned with pleasure while her hands roamed his sides and torso. He couldn’t think of anything other than how much he adored her and how much he loved the feeling of everything she was doing to him.

            Wineva trailed her kisses down his chest to his torso, amused at how Gabryelle was already completely aroused. She decided to leave his groin alone, kissing and biting at the insides of his thighs and making him squirm around beneath her. She wanted to mark his perfect, lithe body as her own as much as possible before she had him.

            “Flip over for me, my darling.” She said to him easily, smiling when the human so willingly obeyed, exposing his back to her.

            Wineva hummed and moved to gently rub his back, massaging the muscles and working her hands lower and lower easily. Then, she grabbed both of his ass cheeks and squeezed them, digging her nails in. A grin spread across her face when the man beneath her moaned with pleasure at the feeling. Her toy seemed to like the sting of her nails, so she figured she’d make it even better for him.

            Gently, she grabbed his hips and guided him up onto his knees, his torso still on the ground so that his ass was high in the air, displayed to her like a prize. She gently massaged the cheeks before lifting both her hands and bringing them back down on his cheeks, hard.

            Gabryelle moaned as she slapped his backside harshly, making the cheeks sting, much more than they had when she’d dug her nails into them. It wasn’t unpleasant, though. “Please, again…” he panted out to her.

            Wineva smiled at that, loving how willing and compliant her toy had become. She nodded and moved to kiss both his cheeks before slapping them a few more times, loving the way Gabryelle cried out and moaned before her. It was like a symphony.

            “How much do you want me, Gabe?” She crooned, reaching between his legs and moving to gently fondle his balls.

            “V-Very much…. Please, Wineva….” Gabryelle moaned out to her as she finally started to touch the place she’d been neglecting.

            Wineva nodded and flipped the man over once again to lie on his back. “Good, because I want you very much, too. Have a feel.” She said, moving on top of him and grabbing his hand, holding it between her legs to feel at her slick opening, having gotten herself ready on demand.

            Gabryelle gently felt at her velvety, wet vulva until she pulled his hand away. “Aren’t you going to take off your dress?” he asked curiously.

            Wineva looked down at him and just smiled. “It would take too much time, and it’s not necessary. I want you now.” She replied. She didn’t like taking her clothes off when her toys had theirs off already. It would make them equals, and the one thing she always wanted to be was in control. She wanted to be the one in charge of it all, the dominant one. So, she always refused to remove her dress.

            Gabryelle nodded and watched as she positioned herself on top of him, grabbing his standing cock and guiding it into herself, both of them moaning out with pleasure. She felt amazing around him, like nothing he’d ever felt before. She was warm and slick and velvety. Without any warning, she started to move on top of him, dragging more and more moans out of him as she bounced on his lap, one her hands moving to gently toy with his nipple all the while.

            Gabryelle moaned with ecstasy, wondering if this is what it felt like to see the gates of Paradise.  He hoped so, as it felt absolutely wonderful. The man moaned and panted as they both worked up to their climaxes, blissfully unaware of the shadows that started to creep at the corners of his little hut, slowly bathing the thing in darkness, numerous pairs of glowing eyes watching them from outside the tiny home.

            He hit his climax when Wineva did, both of them crying out with ecstasy. He couldn’t see anything through the pitch-blackness of the hut, save for the faint glow of the fire in the center beside them. He could feel Wineva ejaculate onto him, though, warm liquid gushing out from her.

            “Ah, honey, you’re amazing. Come, help me clean up.” She crooned to Gabryelle, moving  to gather her skirts as she straddled his face.

            Without a second thought, Gabryelle moved his mouth up to her vulva, pulling away in shock when he tasted something warm and rusty. He put his face back up to her again and started to use his tongue to clean of the liquid from her body, suddenly wanting more and more of it. He lapped up as much as he could before got off of him, just now noticing that the woman seemed to be chanting in a different language, a tongue he’d never heard before. Before he could ask what she was doing, she had a hand over his heart, her nails clawing into the skin of his chest, her chanting growing louder.

            Then, he could have sworn, he was on fire. His body seemed to get so terribly hot that he couldn’t stand it. When he went to scream, though, his throat constricted. He opened his eyes to see the pairs of eyes all around him, watching him as he suffered on the ground in front of them. All of them were chanting along with Wineva in perfect harmony while his body convulsed and he screamed in agony.

He turned over to his sides, his back arching up like a cat’s as he clawed at the ground, his nails now long and claw-like, tearing the ground up beneath him as he felt as if something was tearing his back apart.

            Then, the fire that consumed his body disappeared as the voices quieted their chanting, the only noise in the hut being his heavy breathing and the soft crackle of the fire that still blazed on.

            Gabryelle slowly moved to get back into a sitting position easily, feeling a new pair of limbs that had sprouted from his back. He moved them experimentally, then moving to feel them curiously, softly stroking the soft, silky feathers that covered them up.

            “A Crow. Your fledgling’s a Crow.” One voice said, breaking the silence, moving over to the new demon in the center of the ring, reaching over to grab his chin and force the Crow to turn his head towards him to see his face. The demon took in the sight of the man who’d used to be a priest, having been watching as Wineva played with him. It was always fun to watch humans being messed with, but it was especially fun when it was a priest, monk, or nun.

            His sweet blond curls had become straight inky black locks that fell just past his shoulders. The man’s deep brown eyes were now bright, glowing pink, his pupils slits like a cat’s or a snake’s. His skin that had once been tanned from the sun was now white like porcelain. The features of his face having gone from sweet and soft to angular and harsh, with a slim nose, high cheekbones, and high, arched eyebrows. With long eyelashes and a nearly perfect face, the Crow had the beautiful face of a predator.

            The rest of the demons circled around him to get a better look at the new Crow, their faces remaining seemingly indifferent.

            “If he wasn’t an infant or your fledgling, I might just take him as a mate.” One of them said to Wineva with a small laugh as they looked over the new demon’s body, drinking in the sight of his long, graceful limbs and lean muscle.

            “Give it a century or two, he’s just a baby.” She replied, moving over to the Crow and helping him up to his feet easily. “Come, Crow. You’ll be coming home with us.” She said to him, looking into his eyes.

            “I do have a name, you know.” He replied impatiently, his voice not too low or high anymore. It was perfect, and melodious.

            “You had a name. Do you really wish for me to call you Gabryelle, like the angel and the priest you once were?” She replied to him with a small cock of her head.

            He grimaced at that and shook his head. “No. I want nothing to do with that.”

            “Then, you’ll earn a name like the rest of us. Until then, you are what you are, a Crow, and that’s what you’ll be called.” She replied before turning around and leading him out of the little cottage, the rest of the demons following along behind them.

            The Crow followed along behind her easily, glancing over at the old church as they passed, smiling as he got an idea. Before they left that realm, he wanted to have a little bit of fun. He grabbed Wineva’s arm and whispered into her ear, earning a smile and a laugh from her, the woman nodding and gently stroking his wing a bit.

            “Have your fun, sweetheart. But don’t take too long.” She replied easily, to him, watching as the young demon walked away from the group and into the church.

            The Crow smiled a bit as he walked into the church, no definitive plan of how he wanted to go about this. He just did as he felt like, first grabbing a Bible off the altar, tearing it up to shreds with his nails, scattering it along the floor. He then went to a candle, willing the thing to light up, then willing the flame to flare up. He blew on it, watching as the fire grew and grew before catching. It wasn’t long until the building was consumed in the flames.

            Wineva smiled and laughed a bit as she watched her fledgling walk out from the burning church, a wide grin on his face like a happy child. “Well, I’m glad you had your fun.” She said, letting him sidle over to her again and walk with the group out of the little village.

            They all walked out to forested area outside the village that would conceal them as they left the human realm.

            “Take my hand, Crow.” Wineva said as one of the other demons opened a portal by setting a small bonfire that would take them out of the realm of the humans.

            The Crow nodded and took her hand in his own, watching as she prepared herself to step into the portal that had opened just in front of them. Before he could step inside, though, he felt something small grab his thigh.

            “Father, is it you?” the little girl clinging to his leg asked, looking up at the figure with wide eyes. She couldn’t see him too well through the darkness, only able to make out his vague silhouette. She knew her parents wouldn’t at all be happy that she was out of her bed at that hour. She’d heard screaming coming from their priest’s little hut, though, and grew worried, especially when she saw many figures circled around the one writhing around in the center.

            The demon blinked as he looked down at the little girl clinging to his thigh, not really knowing what to do in that situation. So, he crouched down and guided her hands off of his leg. She was a little human, weak and vulnerable. It would be so easy just to kill her and have his first meal right then and there. However, there was something telling him that, while she might be easy prey, it wouldn’t be satisfying in the least.

            “You would do well to forget about me, little one. I am not the man you once called Father.” He replied to her easily, moving to tuck a strand of her mousy brown hair behind her ear. He was more than a little shocked when the girl reached out and took his face into her small hands, gazing at his face in the moonlight.

            The little girl just held his face in her hands, examining every inch of it. It resembled the priest they’d all once loved, though it was still very different. The warm brown eyes were gone, replaced with bright, glowing pink ones, his pupils having turned to slits like a serpent’s.  They held no warmth anymore. Once, he’d looked down at her with love and gentleness, now he looked at her as if she was a stranger, just an odd little girl he’d never met before and didn’t care about at all. It was devastating. She hoped this was all a nightmare, so she could see their priest grinning and laughing with her once again, before he’d ruffle her hair and say ‘God bless you, little one’, just like he always did.

            “What happened to you? Why are you different?” She asked softly as she felt at his smooth, pale skin.

            The Demon just shook his head and took her hands, removing them from his face. “It’s something beyond your understanding, little one.” He replied easily before moving to stand back up. “It would be wise of you to return home, now. This is no place for little children.”

            Reluctantly, the girl looked between the pair and swallowed, getting the feeling that something unpleasant may happen if she disobeyed. So, she nodded and turned heel, running away from the pair of people, knowing that’s what she should do. She didn’t know what they were, though she knew they weren’t human and they weren’t meant to be there.

            The Crow watched the little girl run off, as if she’d finally realized that she was supposed to be afraid of the two of them.

            “Alright, come along, little Crow.” Wineva said impatiently, taking the Crow’s hand and leading him into the fire in front of them, letting the flames lick their legs until the world around them phased away, sending them into an entirely new one.


	3. Chapter 3

As a succubus, Wineva had spent a little while with the Crow, showing him the ropes and teaching him a little bit about himself and other demons before she left to find a human to play with, leaving the newborn demon to fend for himself.

The Crow found it was extremely easy for him to get bored. After so much of toying with the souls of the sinners being punished in Hell, it had started to get old. He sighed a bit and yawned, watching one of the human souls climb out of the black waters of the river Styx, having been pushing the soul back into the water just to watch him flail around before crawling back to shore.

“Please, Demon, have mercy!” The man cried as he crawled up onto the shore once again.

“Remind me again what you did to come down here.” The Crow asked, cocking his head to the man at his feet, gripping onto his legs.

“I, um, sold my younger sister as a prostitute for my own gain.” The man replied, unable to look up into the face of the demon standing before him.

“That’s right. Now, if you wanted mercy, what would you have done differently?” The Crow asked, crouching down and grabbing the man’s face roughly to force him to look up at his face, grinning down at him with his sharp fangs bared.

“I wouldn’t have sold my sister as a prostitute to make money.” The man replied softly.

“Ah, you’re not as stupid as you look.” The Crow taunted before easily picking the man up by the waist and throwing him back out into the water. With that, the Crow decided he’d head up to the human realm for a meal and a bit of fun. So, he erected a bonfire on the ground to use as a portal, stepping into it easily, and then stepping out into the human world.

Once he got there, the Crow changed his appearance into that of an actual crow, taking to the skies to fly around and try to find a way he could play with the humans. It took a while until he got an idea when he saw a little rat scurrying around on the ground. He landed down, finding a flea among the grass, wondering what would happen if he put that certain flea on the rat that was running around town. Perhaps it would result in something, and perhaps nothing would happen. Nonetheless, he decided to give it a shot, plucking the flea up in his beak and swooping down to set it on the rat gingerly.

“I found one!” He heard a little boy yell, turning his head only to see a group of four little boys running at him, flapping their arms and trying to imitate a crow’s cries. He quickly crowed at them before flapping his wings to fly away to safety. Part of him had half a mind to give the boys a few harsh pecks to the face as retribution. He didn’t want to attract too much attention to himself, though, so he withheld that little urge.

The Crow flew up to land on top of one of the little houses in the town. He just sat there, watching the humans mill around and go about their day. He sat there for a while until he saw a human stop in front of the house.

“Hey, get out of here, you! You’re not wanted here!” The human man yelled to him, waving his hands at him in a shooing motion.

The Crow just stared down at him and decided it would be fun to annoy the human, not moving from his perch on top of the house and just cawing in reply to him.

“Shoo! Go!” The man repeated, only to get cawed at once again. After a bit, a woman emerged from inside the house, telling the man to calm down about it and leave the ‘poor little bird’ alone, leading the man inside.

The Crow cawed at the man triumphantly. After a while, he decided to mess with the human man some more, landing down just outside the open window as the man and his wife sat at the table to eat dinner together. He watched them, starting to caw once again from behind the man, making him jump.

“Oh, not you again! Go! Didn’t I tell you to get out of here?” The man groaned, waving his hands to the crow, only to be cawed at once again.

“Oh, honey, it likes you.” His wife said with a happy giggle as she watched her husband try to get the stubborn crow to leave him alone. “What an intelligent bird, though. It’s like he’s holding conversation with you.”

“It’s not intelligent, darling, it can’t be. It’s just a bird. Its head is too small to hold any real brain.” The man replied with a shake of his head, turning around to look at the crow staring at him from his windowsill. “Darling, does this crow’s eyes look red to you?” he asked after a little bit of staring the bird down.

“What are you talking about? Alexander, every bird has black beady eyes.” The woman replied, giving her husband an odd look.

“No, I swear, this one’s are red.” Alexander replied, leaning closer to the bird in his windowsill.

“The Crow watched as the man leaned closer and closer to him before he leaned forward a bit and latched onto the man’s nose with his sharp beak, taking joy from the sound of the man’s screams of pain as he beak broke his skin, his wife starting to panic as well and trying to get him off the man.

“Get out, damned bird! Be gone, hellish thing!” The man yelled to the crow once it had finally let him go.

The Crow cawed at him and obediently flew back out the window only to perch himself on the roof of the house once again, wondering how angry it would make the man. He sat there and remained relatively quiet until nightfall when the couple had retired for bed. It was then when he started to caw again, making sure to make his cries loud and especially obnoxious. He smiled inwardly when he heard the man cry out and storm out of the house, shouting profanity at him until he picked up a rock and lobbed it at him.

The Crow quickly flew out of the way, deciding he’d had enough of that human. His hunger had grown too much to let him focus on having his fun with the human couple. So, he landed down onto the ground before taking his human form, knowing that it could scramble the man’s brains too much if he were to see his true form.

“I’ve had just about enough of you.” He said, walking closer to the man.

The man was at a loss for words, in shock from watching the crow change up into a tall, slender man in front of him. The man was lean and had long, graceful limbs, his black messy hair falling down to his hips. The most shocking thing, though, was that the man was completely and totally nude and striding towards him as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

The Crow stalked the human into the house, kicking the door shut behind him, then quickly moving to the human man and grabbing his head. It only took a quick twist to snap the man’s neck. He then got down and put his mouth to the human’s sucking his soul out before it could be lost to Paradise or Hell. He sucked the silvery substance out of the man’s body, letting it slip down his throat easily until it was all gone and there was nothing left in the body than bones, blood, and meat.

The Crow stood up and turned to the woman standing and watching in shock, walking over to her. “You were kinder to me than your husband was.” He said easily to her. After quickly deciding to play with her a bit, and then leaning in and pressing his lips against hers in a hard kiss before he bit down on her lip and suckled at the blood that leaked out, licking his lips with a tongue he’d purposefully made abnormally long, the thing hanging out of his mouth well past his chin.

The woman frowned at the sight of the nude, totally inhuman man advancing towards her, looking at her as if she was prey. She turned around and quickly ran to grab a vial of holy water she kept by their bed, spraying the man with a bit it. “Get back! Get back now!”

The Crow hissed at the stinging feeling the holy water left on his skin, stumbling backwards a bit, his skin having turned pink from where the droplets had hit. He frowned, not at all liking being in the weaker state than a human. He collected himself easily before stalking over to the woman and snatching the vial away from her, dashing the thing against the wall of the house.

“I don’t usually eat more than my fill, you see. Once I’m satisfied, that’s the end of it for then. But you, my dear, you would make a lovely dessert.” He growled, holding the woman’s face and forcing her to stare into his eyes. He finished her off like he’d finished off her husband, quickly snapping her neck and sucking out her soul and devouring it. When he finished, he was beyond full and stuffed.

The Crow took the form of the bird once again, deciding to fly around for a little bit while his feast digested. Once the mild stomachache diminished, he decided he’d had his fun for the time being and headed back to Hell.

It didn’t take long after that for him to find out just what had happened when he’d set the flea on the rat. At first the new souls coming into Hell had only picked up a bit, but it soon picked up and they were flowing in faster than the river Styx. It was a phenomenon that seemed to leave every demon confused and shocked.

“My, you little whelps just seem to keep coming.” The Crow mused as he watched the poor ferryman go back and forth with the souls, only able to take a few across, while a crowd that just seemed to be getting bigger and bigger waited their turn. “What could be causing all this, I wonder?”

“I couldn’t tell you. My entire village was a picture of Hell. Some sort of disease has been spreading far and wide, quarantining everyone, no matter how young or old. A lot of people say it’s the wrath of God.  Food is limited, and the bodies are heaped in the streets, some of them covered with the bumps, their skin all discolored.” The human soul next to him replied, though shrinking away when the demon looked down at him.

“Disease, you say? I wonder how long it will run its course.” The Crow replied, thinking aloud as he watched the new batch of souls get off the boat, the ferryman sighing deeply, and then heading back across the river for another batch. He just shook his head and, simply for the fun of it, pushed the soul next to him into the water just to watch him crawl back out.

The Crow headed back towards the realm the demons stayed in when not picking on the sinners as they served their punishment. Most demons he passed by weren’t doing much of anything, mostly just sitting around and talking with each other about things that didn’t matter.

“Well, hello, there. I didn’t mean to run into you, I’m sorry.” One demon commented with a smirk after stepping directly into the Crow’s path, raising a hand to gently stroke his face.

The Crow frowned, having since learned the hard way that some demons were more attracted to very young demons when it came to finding a mate, even if he himself wasn’t quite old enough in demon standards for it yet.

“They call me Sabbal. What about you, my sweet?” The other demon purred easily, tucking a strand of the Crow’s long dark hair behind his ear.

“I’m the one who’ll bite your hand off if you touch me again.” The Crow growled back to the other demon.

Sabbal just laughed at that and smiled to him, though pulling his hand away nonetheless. “You’re a feisty one. You got a name yet?”

“No, I’m just Crow.” He replied with a shake of his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, Crow, how old are you?” Sabbal asked curiously, cocking his head at him.

“I’m just arriving upon two-hundred.” The Crow replied honestly, knowing it was a very young age in demonic terms.

“Aww, the little Crow’s just starting to spread his wings. Do your parents know you’re out on your own?”

“I don’t have any. I was Changed. The woman who initiated the Changing left to do things on her own about a hundred years ago.”

Sabbal blinked at that, as it was rather unusual to abandon a fledgling before they were four or five hundred. Some waited a full millennium before leaving their fledgling to continue on their own. To abandon a very young and still growing demon so quickly was seen as lazy and careless. If they’d wanted a fledgling that badly, they should have been committed to taking care of them for the standard allotted time.

“Huh. Well, good luck, kid.” Sabbal replied, deciding to let the young Crow continue on his way.

The Crow just nodded and continued walking down the path easily, his heels clicking with each step he took. Every demon had a home of their own, so he decided to head to his. Technically it was Wineva’s, but she hadn’t shown for the past century, so it was as good as his for the time being.

The home wasn’t anything special. It had been just the right size for two demons, not too big or too cramped.  He spent a majority of his time in the little house, just relaxing and reading to learn more about demons and Crow demons like himself. At that point, he’d totally forgotten how humans functioned and he didn’t care. He didn’t need to know, so he didn’t bother with acquiring the knowledge.

The Crow spent many years like that, keeping to himself and hunkering in his little home, only ever leaving Hell to get food and play with the humans a bit. Sometimes he would try to just sit and watch the humans go about their lives, though it never lasted long, as he always ended up confused about the human species and would head home to a world that made more sense to him. His life was relatively uneventful, and he was fine with it. It was easier that way.

He did, however, get bored quite often. The Crow was lounging around his little home, his wings spread out to their full length to stretch them out when he started to hear what seemed like a voice in his head. The voice became a chorus of voices, all of them seeming to be calling out to him. With a sigh, he got up and followed to where the voices lead him, flying out of Hell and into the human realm. The voices grew louder and louder, calling him closer and closer as he moved closer to wherever they wanted him to go. He ended up in front of a large, grand building. After much coaxing from the voices, he let himself inside and followed the voices down into a deep cellar in the building, the voices no longer in his head anymore as he entered the room, his heels clicking on the floor.

“Who summons me to this place?” the Crow asked rather impatiently, looking around at all the humans around him in dark cloaks and masks. The humans immediately flocked around him, some of them grabbing at his body while pleading for him to give them power and wealth and grant their desires. He frowned, pushing past all of the human forms as he caught sight of a cage in the back of the room with a tiny, shivering form inside.

“It was you, wasn’t it, little one?” he asked, amused at the thought of a child so tiny summoning a demon like himself all on his own.

The child stared back at him with big, wide eyes, not saying a word from shock at the sight of the thing in front of him.

“You’ve summoned me here, that fact won’t change for the rest of time. What do you want of me? I can give you power beyond your belief, I can give you your freedom; I can give you whatever you wish. It does however, come with a small price. Make a covenant with me and I will serve you and do whatever you command.” He explained to the child in the cage with a smile. It would be his first contract with a human, but he didn’t mind. After all, what all could a child want? He would probably free the kid, kill his captors and have his delicious soul to eat in no time.

“What do you get in return?” The child asked softly, looking up into the glowing irises of the creature in front of him.

“When the contract I fulfilled, I will get your delicious, beautiful soul to eat as my next meal.” The Crow replied with a grin to the child. “The choice is yours, but you must make it quickly. I’m not a patient man, you see.”

The child nodded, thinking for a bit about his options. “I’ll make a contract with you, Demon.” He replied easily.

“Lovely. Where shall I put the seal of our contract, then, little master? The more obvious the place, the more power it shall give you.”

“I don’t care. Just give me as much power as possible!”

“Oh. Then I think I’ll place it right here, on that big, dreadful eye of yours.” The Crow replied, reaching into the cage to trace his fingers over the child’s delicate eyelid, wiping away a tear that rolled out of his eye with his thumb. With that he pressed the palm of his hand to the child’s eye, marking the child with the proof of their covenant. The back of his own hand seemed to grow warm as a mark appeared on him as well.

The child cried in pain as his eye was marked, feeling as if that side of his face was being consumed in fire. All at once, though, it was done and the demon had pulled his hand away.

“What are my first orders, little lord?” The Crow asked curiously, cocking his head at the younger man.

“Kill all my captors, then set me free!” the boy replied.

The Crow grinned at that and nodded, standing up and doing as he was told contently. The candles in the room blew out as he moved, dashing each of the heads of the masked men against the ground to kill them all. When he’d finished, the candles lit up once again and the room was silent. The Crow walked back over to the cage and gripped the bars, pulling them apart with ease to let the child out.

The boy climbed out of the cage through the opening easily, standing up straight and looking up at the demon in front of him.

“Demon, from this day forth, you are to be my servant and my weapon. Is that understood?” The boy asked with a small frown.

“Of course, little lord. Perhaps I ought to take a more suitable form, then.” The Demon replied easily before shifting into a more humanoid form, his body being donned with the black formal suit he’d seen a servant in the human realm wearing once with shiny black shoes, black trousers, a white shirt, grey vest, black tie, and a black jacket with long tails. He made his hair appear shorter than it actually was, his glowing eyes having dulled down to simply being red.

The child watched as the demon took the form of a young man in front of him, dressed all in a black butler’s uniform. For whatever reason, he hadn’t expected the other to take the form of a young man, the demon looking as if he couldn’t be over twenty-five years old. From what he could see, he figured the demon could be considered relatively handsome, at least. His skin was porcelain white, his eyes like rubies, and his hair framing his slim face like black silk. The boy said nothing; just letting the demon lead him out of the room and then out of the building altogether, into the open air as the sun began to rise on the horizon.

“Where will we go, little lord?” The Crow asked curiously as soon as they were outside together. “Is your home nearby here?”

“I don’t know. My home was burnt down a while ago and I don’t know exactly where we are. I know my Aunt An is working at the hospital in London. Perhaps we could see her.” The boy replied, thinking aloud.

The Crow nodded and moved to start heading that way, figuring they’d might as well see the child’s family in the hospital. So far, he didn’t seem to mind the contract at all. The child seemed perfectly agreeable.

“Demon.” The child said, grabbing onto the tail of his coat to stop him.

“Yes, my lord?” He asked curiously.

“My name is Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive. Do you have a name?” the boy asked curiously.

“My name is whatever my master chooses to name me.” The Crow replied honestly with a small smile at the idea of finally being able to have a name of his own.

“Then it’s… Sebastian. Sebastian Michaelis.” The boy decided after a bit of thought.

“Thank you, my lord. Is that the name of your late butler, perhaps?” The demon now called Sebastian asked curiously.

“No, it’s the name of my late dog.” Ciel replied easily before setting back off on their way to go into town.

Sebastian blinked at that, the smile remaining on his face. He’d been wrong, he decided. The boy wasn’t that agreeable at all, and he’d made a contract with a little brat.

 


	4. Chapter 4

“Young master, it’s time to wake up.” Sebastian said, drawing open the drapes and moving over to Ciel’s bed to gently shake his shoulder.

Ciel groaned and lightly batted at Sebastian’s hand, turning over onto his side to face away from the demon. “Not yet….”

“Oh, come now, my lord. You don’t want to sleep away the day, do you?” Sebastian asked with a small smile to the human, continuing to gently shake his shoulder.

“I do.” Ciel said stubbornly with a small frown, squeezing his eyes shut tighter.

Sebastian sighed a bit. “Ah, what a shame. I made a fresh batch of scones with strawberries and chocolate, too.”

Ciel frowned when he heard that, knowing the demon knew full well how much he favored the sweet flavor of the strawberry and chocolate scones. He turned over again to face his butler, finally giving in and opening his eyes to look up at the butler. “With the chocolate drizzled on top?” he asked softly, keeping his eyes locked on Sebastian’s.

“How could I ever forget the chocolate drizzled on top? They’d be incomplete without it.”

Ciel sighed and gave up at that, letting Sebastian help him out of the bed to get him ready for the day. He sipped his morning tea contently while he let his butler dress him in an outfit the other had chosen for him, though frowning when the man paused after putting his pants on him.

“What’s the matter with you? Did you break or something?” He asked a bit impatiently, wanting to get dressed and get downstairs for the scones Sebastian had promised.

“No, master, I’m fine. It’s just that the legs of these pants are a tad short. The last time you wore them, they fit perfectly. Now the ends are clear over your ankles.”

Ciel blinked at that before looking down at his legs in the pants. They really were a bit too short on him now. Hastily, he hopped off the bed, running over to the large mirror in the corner of his room to look at himself and his legs that seemed to have gotten longer.  He then noticed his face, getting closer to the mirror when he saw the little red bumps that had developed on his cheeks and forehead.

Sebastian watched him curiously before understanding what was going on. “Ah, my little lord soon won’t be quite so little. You’ve begun your transformation into a man.” He said with a happy smile to the other. While the idea of puberty still confused him quite a bit, he was extremely interested in how it would go for his master. After being with the boy for nearly five years, he’d learned a bit more about humans, though they were still an enigma to him. The idea of an awkward phase between childhood and manhood made him smile and the fact that he’d get to watch it all happen to his master made him even happier.

Ciel listened to his butler and cracked a bit or a proud smile, puffing out his chest and putting his hands on his hips as he gazed at himself in the mirror. Soon enough, he’d grow a lot and he’d be a full-grown man. He’d be tall and intimidating, and everyone would be forced to take the Earl Phantomhive seriously. He was so glad about finally growing even a little bit that he didn’t mind the pimples and acne that ruined his visage.  “Sebastian, measure me.” He said to the other after a bit, turning around to face the demon once again. “Measure me now.”

Sebastian smiled at that and moved to walk Ciel over to the wall they’d begun to use to chart his master’s growth, which had since been very minimal. He made sure the other stood perfectly straight against the wall with his head held high before making a mark on the white paint. “It looks like you have gained a few centimeters since we last measured you.” He said to the younger man, noticing how happy it seemed to make the other.

Ciel nodded, his chest puffing out with pride once again. “It was bound to happen sooner or later. Just wait, I’m going to end up being able to see clear over your head.” He boasted to his butler.

“We’ll see about that, master.” Sebastian replied with a small laugh.

“Speaking of which, how tall are you? Stand by the wall so we can measure you, too.” Ciel said, pushing his butler’s chest to get him to stand against the wall.

Sebastian complied; standing against the wall perfectly straight while Ciel got onto a small stool and made a mark to signify the top of his butler’s head.

“You’re 185 centimeters. How tall am I?” the young earl asked curiously.

“You’re about 158, my lord.” Sebastian replied to Ciel easily, looking over at him.

“Then I only have twenty-eight more centimeters until I’m taller than you.” Ciel said with a smile to his butler as he let the man go back to dressing him for the day.

“That’s quite a lot. Are you sure you’ll be able to make it, my lord?” Sebastian asked with a small smile up to the young earl.

“Of course I will. If I couldn’t do that much, what kind of master would I be?” Ciel replied with a smirk to his butler as the man finished dressing him for the day.

Sebastian looked up at his master at the familiar question and smiled a bit to him in return. “Certainly not one worth your salt.” He replied easily before standing up and straightening out his clothes. He held out a hand to Ciel and helped him down from the bed and lead him out of the bedroom. From there, Ciel took the lead and walked down to the dining room for his breakfast.

While he ate, Sebastian stood against the wall, politely averting his gaze while his master enjoyed the food he’d made for him. From there, they went about their work, Ciel going up to his study to finally get around to the paperwork he needed to fill out for the company while Sebastian went about his own various duties as butler.

Sebastian cleared away the dishes and took them all back to the kitchen before starting to wash and clean them all with Baldroy.

“How’s the young master’s attitude today?” the chef asked curiously as he worked alongside the butler, glancing down at the man’s hands. He couldn’t help but notice that the man never took his gloves off, no matter what he was doing. When washing the dishes or helping with the laundry or even bathing their young master, those gloves never once left his hands. It seemed impractical to leave them on and get them wet and have to change his gloves multiple times a day, but he never questioned it aloud.

“Master’s faring well, it seems. He’s grown a couple centimeters, so that must have made his day.” Sebastian replied to him as he let Bard dry and put the dishes away while he washed and scrubbed them until they shined.

“Really? Well, that’s good. I was starting to think he was going to be a tiny little thing all his life. But I guess it’s about that time.” Bard replied as he dried and put away the dishes. “Hey, Sebastian. Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.” Sebastian replied without missing a beat, keeping his eyes on the pan he was cleaning.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do. If you have something to ask, then ask it and stop wasting my time.”

“Why don’t you ever take your gloves off? Why don’t you just take them off before doing dishes or anything that’ll get them all wet? That way you don’t have to worry about changing them so often?” Bard asked curiously, catching the butler off guard.

Sebastian paused what he was doing, looking over at the blonde man, having not been expecting that question. “What does it matter to you?”

“It doesn’t, but that’s not an answer. It would be a lot easier to use your nails and scrub away at everything without your gloves in the way.”

“I just don’t want to show my hands.” Sebastian replied shortly, poring himself back into his work.

“What could be wrong with them? They’re just hands.” Bard persisted, reaching over to grab one of Sebastian’s wrists when he wasn’t looking, bringing his hand up and out of the water before quickly pinching the top of the glove on one of the man’s long, nimble fingers and pulling it off.

Sebastian’s eyes went wide when Bard grabbed him and took the glove off of his hand, just thankful that the other man hadn’t grabbed the hand with the mark of the contract inscribed on it.

Bard blinked at the sight of the pitch-black nails on Sebastian’s fingers. It wasn’t like they were normal nails that hadn’t been groomed for years and years. They were simply normal nails that looked like they’d somehow been dyed black. They were perfectly groomed to be just the right length and were shiny enough to make any proper lady jealous.

Sebastian stood dumbfounded for a moment before wrenching his hand away from Bard and using the other to splash dishwater at him, not at all liking that the human had caught him off guard and had almost made him vulnerable. “I have better things to do than this, you can handle the rest.” He said impatiently, stalking out of the room after pulling his tailcoat back on.

Bard watched the man leave the room with only one dripping wet glove still on. He cocked an eyebrow at the behavior but decided to let it go for that moment. The butler was certainly a strange one, though. After five years of working with him and knowing full well that the man was under constant stress, he still looked like he hadn’t aged a day. Any normal person would have developed a wrinkle or two at least, but Sebastian’s face was as smooth and flawless as a porcelain doll’s. Plus, every spring he noticed a few large black feathers scattered around the manor, mostly by the butler’s bedroom. It was like someone had decided to let in a huge bird just to let it molt all over the place. Then, every so often, he’d wake up in the middle of the night to hear what sounded like the clicking of a woman’s high heels on the floor outside the bedroom he shared with Finny and Tanaka and Snake. He’d always have the urge to leave the bedroom just to see what it was, but he always got a feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him that it was a bad idea, and that he was better off staying in his bed. If he’d learned one thing in the military, it was to always trust your instincts.

Sebastian returned to his bedroom easily, pulling out a clean pair of gloves and slipping them on easily, jumping a bit in shock when he heard Finny suddenly run in, sobbing. Even after years to get used to everything, the gardener hadn’t changed whatsoever, only growing older physically.

“Mr. Sebastian! I’m sorry, I did it again!” The blond wailed, his hands grabbing onto the butler’s coat before wrapping his arms around the tall man’s slim torso to hug him tightly.

“What do you mean, Finny?” Sebastian asked with a sigh as the gardener cried into his shoulder.

“I-I was trying to get rid of a bee hive and I accidentally knocked the entire tree down.” Finny explained with a frown as he looked up at the butler’s familiar face.

Sebastian sighed, willing himself not to take his anger out on the stupid gardener. “Finnian, you never cease to amaze me, and not in a good way. Come, let’s see the damage.”

Finny nodded and took the butler’s gloved hand, leading him out of his room and out to the garden behind the large manor.

Sebastian let Finny lead him around by the hand to bring him out to see the fallen tree that had been completely uprooted. He knew there was more of a story behind the sight other than Finny simply trying to bat down a beehive, but he honestly didn’t want to know it.

“Alright, I suppose the only thing you can do is to completely remove the tree and put it elsewhere, away from the manor. Then you can go out and buy a new one to take its place.” Sebastian said with a sigh, rubbing his temple in exasperation.

Finny nodded and smiled up at the other man who always seemed to know what to do and always seemed to be so patient with him. “Okay, Mr. Sebastian! I’ll take care of it right away!” he chirped, putting a hand to his forehead in salute.

Sebastian just nodded and moved to head back inside the large manor, rubbing his temples all the way inside. He sighed and went back to his work, knowing it was only a matter of time, now, until Mey-Rin came to him with one of her own problems. It was days like that when the liquor cabinet in the kitchen started to look more and more tempting. It was no mystery where the years worth of knots and kinks in his back had come from, and the demon sometimes wanted nothing more than to down a bottle of wine while soaking in a scalding hot bath to take the edge off and help him relax. After years of dealing with the idiotic servants and a master who seemed to delight in making him squirm, he figured he deserved it.

It only took about half an hour for Mey-Rin to rush over to him as he worked on the accounting for Funtom. Sebastian sighed and looked up at the woman, setting his pen down. “What is it, Mey-Rin?” he asked with a small frown.

Mey-Rin felt her throat close up when she tried to speak when the man looked up at her with those eyes like the finest red wine and his long, thick eyelashes.  She’d never been the kind of woman to dream about and gush over a man, as most of the men she’d met before had been rather mediocre at best. There was something about Sebastian, though, that made her heart race. There was no doubt that he was lovely, like an angel walking the Earth. His voice nice and smooth and, overall, he was the epitome of ‘tall, dark, and handsome’. She wanted his lips to kiss all over her face sweetly, but then she also wanted to grab him by his tie and drag him into her bedroom and sin with him all through the night. On the surface, the man was perfect and seemed like a prince out of a fairy tale. However, Sebastian confused her a lot of the time. He was too perfect, and sometimes downright frightening. Sometimes, he’d smile at her, but it seemed absolutely false and almost seemed to be dripping with venom. It didn’t help that he often liked muse about how fascinating humans were, talking as if they were a foreign species to him. There was something about him that told her to get away from him, to get far, far away and never look back. Something about him was terribly wrong.

Mey-Rin swallowed and found her voice after catching herself staring at the man. “It’s um, the wood polish. I don’t really know if it was wood polish….” She explained, fiddling with her skirt nervously under his hard gaze.

Sebastian sighed at that and pinched the bridge of his nose before setting his pen down and standing up to walk out with the maid to check the damage. Sure enough, the banister of the main stairway was coated in black shoe polish rather than shining like it ought to be.

“I’ll clean this up. You, just, go help Bard in the kitchen.” He said with a sigh, shooing the maid away before setting to work to scrub the wood clean once again.

Mey-Rin nodded and did her best not to let her eyes linger too long on the man’s backside. She could definitely see why some female guests of the manor liked to try and sneak a touch every so often. Sebastian was definitely built like a ballet dancer from head to toe. He was tall and slim and graceful, and it was nice to just watch him move. Nonetheless, she forced herself to turn around and walk back to the kitchen, meeting Bard inside it as the blonde man finished up with the dishes.

“Hey, what’re you doing in here?” Bard asked curiously, watching as Mey-Rin took off her glasses to wash them on her apron.

“Mr. Sebastian sent me in here while he cleans up my mistake again.” She replied sheepishly with a small laugh and a shake of her head. “You’d think I’d have learned by now.”

“Hey, don’t get too down about it. We’re all still taking time to adjust. Not everyone can be some sort of perfect superman like Sebastian.” Bard said to her easily.

The maid nodded and smiled a bit at the cook’s reassuring words. “Did you mess up, too?”

“I don’t know, really. I was just talking with the guy and I told him he should take his gloves off when washing the dishes. I took one of them off and the guy completely flipped out on me. You’d think it was some sort of personal offense.” Bard replied with a shrug. “He’s a weird one, that Sebastian.”

“He is a bit odd. I need to ask him what he uses on his skin, though. He doesn’t look like he’s aged a day.” Mey-Rin agreed with a small laugh.

“I should ask, too. I don’t like these wrinkles I’ve been getting. I’m too young to look so old.” Bard replied with a small laugh. “I wonder what that guy was doing before Young Master picked him up, though. Do you think anyone knows?”

“No, I don’t think even young master knows. It’s odd.” Mey-Rin replied, losing herself to thoughts of that beautiful, mysterious butler. She wondered if they’d ever find out, or if it would always be a mystery to them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All done! Sorry for taking so long on the chapters! This summer's been hectic with getting ready for college and having to have jaw surgery. Thanks so much for your support and your patience!


End file.
